A quarrel to remember
by Arianka
Summary: Short AU to the episode "An affair to remember". Based on NWZ.


A/N Another translation of my Polish story.

Many thanks to **lbindner**, who checked me this translation.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any characters and I don't have any profits from writing, except from my own satisfaction.

**A quarrel to remember**

Deepest dreams sometimes come true in a very weird way. Had it only been possible, Diego would even say that some vicious power ruled the fate as maliciously as it could. He had to admit that an afternoon, or maybe even entire day spent alone with Victoria had been his dream for some time. A dream, for now, unrealizable. And here, before he could realize what was going on, they found themselves together, alone, with no chance for a quick parting. What should he want more? But soon it showed up, that this ideal situation had a few disadvantages. What's more, if Diego had a chance to think, it had great deal of drawbacks. One was the fact, that Victoria was unconscious, the second – bandits were outside the cave, third... Well, at least the first one was eliminated.

Under a gentle touch of wet cloth Victoria quickly woke up. Unfortunately, as soon as she regained consciousness, she was more and more curious about everything and Diego thanked silently for his good health, for otherwise his heart might have not withstood such stress. And Victoria's presence in his cave was more than stressful. The fact, that their conversation soon turned into a quarrel also didn't help. Diego had a chance to discover one more thing. A quarrel with señorita Escalante wasn't something he wished to experience frequently and Diego for a moment blessed Victoria's damaged ankle, which at least immobilized her.

Diego sighed when he managed to turn Victoria's attention from bandits, money and him being Zorro, and he focused on giving her medicine. Cactus tea should help Victoria, and maybe it would help her to loosen up. Unfortunately, the woman started feeling more comfortable. She settled herself and started asking questions, when he tried to pour the tea into a dish and not to spill t with his trembling hands. If only she saw it!

Zorro's cave appeared to be a place full of traps for somebody, who deeply wanted to hide something. Diego always considered himself as a person who kept everything in order, and he couldn't say a word about Felipe, but now he was just nervously looking around in search for dangers. He turned to give Victoria the tea, when he saw a clothes rack by the wall. For the first time he wanted to curse his pedantic habit of hanging up his clothes. The white caballero's shirt could betray him at once!

"Here, it should help you," Diego encouraged her, standing in the way he was covering the unlucky clothes rack.

"Uh, it smells horrible!" Victoria winced in disgust.

"Well, closing your eyes hides the taste." Diego advised her desperately, squinting over his arm at the rack. The señorita made a face, but closed her eyes and emptied the dish. Diego took advantage of the opportunity and tossed his cape on the clothes rack. He only just covered his clothes. He sighed in relief, but not for long.

"Uh, it is really awful," Victoria shrugged in disgust and gave him the bowl. Diego sent her an embarrassed smile.

"Frequently, the things we like the least, do us the most good," he explained in an apologetic voice. He changed the subject to efface the bad impression the cactus tea had made. "This ankle should be elevated," he said and bent down, unaware, that he had more troubles right around the corner. He caught the movement out of the corner of his eyes and groaned silently. Felipe! Diego rushed forward, hoping that Victoria would take his desperate movement as a manifestation of passion. At the same time he sent his thanks to whoever discovered the cactus tea. If it only worked to also deaden her senses... But it didn't.

"What's the matter?" the señorita asked, laughing, surprised by his strange movement. _Think, Zorro, think, _Diego kept repeating in his mind, feverishly trying to get out of this.

"This will be a more comfortable direction," he hastened to explain and started moving the chair, earnestly trying to cover the sight of the stairs. Victoria, however, realized that his behavior was more than strange.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, attempting to peek over his arm. Diego moved himself closer and hit her leg by accident. "Au!" she screamed. Diego, now three times more carefully, propped her leg on his desk.

"Pardon my clumsiness. You must know I would do anything to avoid hurting you." Diego threw out his apology. The señorita sighed with irritation, as if she was trying to prevent herself from starting another quarrel. She didn't have a chance to say anything; Diego effectively made it impossible. The kiss was maybe more violent than full of emotions, but at least fully grabbed Victoria's attention. _Go, Felipe, go! _Diego begged silently, at the same time trying to tell it to him by gesture to do so and still get pleasure from the kiss. At last he stopped reluctantly. He looked back and barely stopped a sigh of relief. They were alone. Then Victoria's small hands grabbed him and pulled him closer to her. She returned a kiss, full of passion. Diego knelt by her and leaned forward. He felt her hand on his neck. He closed his eyes and allowed everything to disappear for a moment, until there was only Victoria left. Maybe this was the reason why he reacted too late, when he had an impression that something slid off his nose. He blinked rapidly and for a moment he couldn't see anything, and then he realized he was staring straight into Victoria's eyes, wide opened and angered. The next detail was _his_ mask in the señorita's hands. Zorro was not made for such affairs, he thought when he stepped back.

"Diego? Diego de la Vega?" Victoria asked with disturbingly trembling voice. If any fly had been there in the cave and flew by her, it would have dropped down dead, smote by one of the spark from the señorita's dark eyes.

"So, I guess you know, where I live when I'm not Zorro," she heard a shy reply for one of her previous questions. It was Diego who knelt by her in a black outfit, but this nervous smile surely belonged to Zorro. In the past, each time she had started talking about his mask, marriage or children, Zorro had always smiled this way and looked as if he wanted to escape. Now this feeling was stronger, because it was Diego who knelt. Moreover, he was totally defenseless.

"I thought we are friends," Victoria said finally, not with anger, but sadly. Diego knitted his brows, surprised. Then she blew up. "Friends don't have such secrets! How many times did you listen, when I confided in you about my romance with Zorro? How I talked..." Victoria made a movement as if she wanted to stand up, but resigned. "Oh, this has been very funny, hasn't it? How you must have listened, as a woman defends you and praises you! Very funny, wasn't it? To flirt, catch a kiss and escape before I was able to say two words to you! Are you so afraid of our shared life?" Victoria finished and stared at him expectantly. She was furious, but at the same time she had to stop herself from laughing. Is she ever told anyone, that Zorro knelt by her, stunned, with such an unhappy face... No one would believe her, though Alcalde Ignacio de Soto would give anything to see it.

"Dios, Querida, give me some time," begged Diego, when he finally collected his thoughts.

"Time?" repeated an enraged Victoria. "It took you five years to tell me, who you are! But what am I saying!" the señorita snorted angrily. "You couldn't even tell me that! I don't dare to think, how long it would take you to take me to the altar!"

"As Zorro – never," he answered calmly. He stood up and leaned against the desk.. "And this is what you wanted, isn't it? A wedding with Zorro, you in a white dress, me in a black mask, ideal contrast. Beautiful picture, but unreal," he pointed with poorly hidden irritation. "We would need a miracle, we would have to get some decent alcalde, and me – a pardon for us to get married this way."

"A miracle? A miracle? So you knew it was going to be that way and did NOTHING to change it?" asked the angry señorita. "Maybe you don't want to change anything at all? I thought you are more responsible, Diego de la Vega! But no, you are afraid of responsibility! You'd rather flirt with me and keep me uncertain, make me wait for you forever, than do anything! If Zorro couldn't, why didn't Diego ever propose to me?"

"Because, if I understand well, you want a wedding with Zorro, not with Diego de la Vega. With a romantic outlaw, not a plain caballero," Diego almost spat these words, as if they were an insult for him.

"And how could I know what I want or what to expect?" replied Victoria. "We never talked about it. Five years passed and we had our first quarrel today. FIRST, do you understand? Five years too late!

"You promised to wait for me," pointed out Diego quietly. "I gave you free choice, you could have gone with Juan, when you had a chance."

"Gone? So now you want me just to go?" the señorita's voice broke. Victoria wanted to stand up, but then remembered about her ankle and suddenly laughed nervously. "Right now I can't."

"No! No, I don't want!" Diego bent down and put his hands on her arms. "But..."

"But what?"

"But had you ever given me a chance, you would have been doña de la Vega for a long time" said Diego even quieter than a moment ago.

"What?" Victoria was stunned. "But you never..."

"Never said a word?" Diego finished bitterly. "Why should I? I didn't have a slightest chance with my alter ego. You have to admit, you wouldn't even look at me, if you had to choose between me and Zorro. And what would you have done, if I went to you one day and told you the truth?" the question hung in the air. Victoria stared at the man who was leaning over her. She stared at Zorro with a face of her friend. She didn't want, she really didn't want to admit he was right, but they both knew, how this scene would end. The thought that her friend Diego de la Vega could be the masked outlaw was so absurd... Victoria remembered those few moments, when she had some unclear suspicions. Each time she had these thoughts, she laughed at herself. And most probably she would react the same way, had Diego told her such a revelation.

"And now?" she asked finally. "What do you think I should do?"

"You can always go to de Soto and tell him the truth. You will be six thousand pesos richer, if he believes you," suggested Diego with humor. Victoria couldn't help but smile, seeing Zorro's smile.

"I'm not THAT angry," she told him. Her fury disappeared along with the tension between them, replaced by happiness. She finally knew the secret! She began to understand what it meant and what the consequences were, but right now she just wanted to enjoy knowing the identity of her beloved. And because of the bandits waiting somewhere outside the cave's walls, it was going to be a really long and interesting day.


End file.
